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Cnotes Tuesday's NBA - NCAAB - NHL Best Bets !

Spartans On Big Ten Road At Fighting Illini

Relatively speaking, the NCAA basketball betting slate on Tuesday is short, as there are only 14 games to choose from. However, of those clashes, half involve teams that are ranked in the AP Top 25, which should make for some exciting hoops action.

The top team in the land, the Kentucky Wildcats are going to be on display when they take on the Tennessee Volunteers at Rupp Arena on Tuesday night. Kentucky was once a team that was just 3-13-1 against the spread on the campaign, but since that point, it has rolled off three covers in four tries in conference play. The 'Cats are still just 2-10-1 ATS at home thanks to the oddsmakers inflating the lines for games in Lexington, but Tuesday provides another chance to try to buck that trend.

It seems as though it won’t be an easy task with the Volunteers coming to town sporting their 11-7-1 ATS record. However, UT is 7-2-1 ATS this year while playing on Rocky Top and just 1-5 ATS on the road. The Volunteers were 10-point home 'dogs when the clubs about two weeks ago in Knoxville, and hung within three points. But now, with the scene shifting to Lexington, the outcome could be a heck of a lot different.

ESPNU will have live coverage of this clash at 7:00 p.m. (ET).

Immediately following the UT/UK clash, the North Carolina Tar Heels will be on ESPNU against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The Tar Heels have rebounded nicely from their loss to the Florida State Seminoles in the middle of the month, and they are hoping to close out January in strong form. North Carolina is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 road games overall, and is riding high with three straight double-digit victories to its credit.

Wake Forest hasn’t had much to be thrilled about this year, but it has been respectable in conference play. The Demon Deacons are 4-2-1 ATS in their seven conference games, and they’ll try to build on that at home against UNC on Tuesday at 9:00 (ET).

ESPN is featuring a doubleheader of big-time duels as well.

In the first of the two games at 7:00 (ET), the Illinois Fighting Illini look to improve their positioning for the NCAA Tournament when they take on the Michigan State Spartans. It is clear that Illinois, which has dropped three in a row both SU and ATS, is squarely on the bubble for the dance right now, and the Illini need to get back on track in a hurry to ensure their name is called on Selection Sunday.

This is a tough spot though, against an MSU team that is a solid 4-2 ATS this year on the road and already has a win at the Wisconsin Badgers in conference play. State will be out to break a 2-game losing skid away from East Lansing, and 'over' bettors have been enjoying an 8-3 stretch in the Spartans' last 11.

The 9:00 (ET) tip on ESPN puts the Vanderbilt Commodores to the test in Fayetteville against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

The Hogs haven’t been on the radar for the NCAA Tournament all that much this year, but a perfect 15-0 record at Walton Arena (5-2 ATS) is certainly impressive. Arkansas already has wins against the Michigan Wolverines and Mississippi State Bulldogs here in Fayetteville, and can log a huge win against a Vandy team that knows that it is going dancing this year barring a massive collapse. Remember, the Commodores are one of the best road teams in the country this year for college basketball betting fans at 4-1 SU and 5-0 ATS when not on their home court or at a neutral site..

The Kansas State Wildcats and Wisconsin Badgers have to hit the road as well on Tuesday night. Kansas State pays a visit to the Iowa State Cyclones who are on a high following Saturday's upset win over the Kansas Jayhawks. Coverage from Hilton Coliseum in Ames begins at 9:00 (ET) on ESPN3. The Badgers are at the Penn State Nittany Lions at 8:00 (ET) in a game that can be seen on the Big Ten Network.

Elsewhere in the Top 25 on Tuesday, the Marquette Golden Eagles try to bolster their tourney resume against the Seton Hall Pirates at 8:00 (ET), while the Clemson Tigers look for the upset of the Virginia Cavaliers in Charlottesville in a 7:00 (ET) tip on ESPN2.

Always remember the 3 G's Girls,Golf, Gambling not in any particular order......:2thumbs:

It has become something of a rarity when an NBA team isn't playing consecutive games, and that makes Tuesday's slate of games very unusual. Twelve of the 14 teams in action will have enjoyed a day off on Monday, and only six of the 14 will be back on the floor come Wednesday evening.

One team, however, isn't going to get any rest on either side of its Tuesday matchup. In the midst of a very forgettable campaign, the Detroit Pistons will play all three nights to begin the week, the middle game of their back-to-back-to-back in New York against the Knicks (7:30 p.m. ET).

The Pistons are 7-7½ point underdogs Monday night in Milwaukee where they entered the contest vs. the Bucks with the league's second-worst record (4-17). Their lone win away from Motown was against the only team with a worse record, the 3-18 Charlotte Bobcats, and they'll follow Tuesday's game opposite the Knicks with a short trek from Manhattan to Newark to meet the New Jersey Nets.

Compounding their overall struggles, the Pistons have been playing without Ben Gordon the past five games while the shooting guard tries to heal a shoulder injury. Detroit scored an upset in the contest immediately following Gordon's injury, a 94-91 home triumph over the Trail Blazers who were laying 6½ on the NBA odds, but have since dropped four straight.

As poorly as the Pistons have played, the Knicks have been equally disappointing at 7-13 on the season. New York took Monday off after a stretch of four road games in five days, the only win at the lowly Bobcats while going 2-2 against the spread in the stretch. That victory in Charlotte is the only dubya for the Knicks in their last 10 trips to the floor, and New York has lost its last four at home where the club is just 3-6 on the season (1-8 ATS).

This will be the second time the two clubs have squared off this season, New York pasting a 103-80 rout in Detroit on Jan. 7 as 4-point road chalk. The Pistons' last win at Madison Square Garden came near the end of the 2008-09 season, the three matchups in the Big Apple since then all going to the Knicks.

The Memphis Grizzlies are the only other team that will be playing a back-to-back on Tuesday. Their 8:00 p.m. tip at FedExForum against the Denver Nuggets qualifies as the marquee game of the night since it's the only one that pits two clubs with at least .500 records. Memphis stood 10-9 entering play Monday when the San Antonio Spurs were in Bluff City as 5½-point 'dogs to meet the Grizzlies.

The Grizz had dropped three straight prior to the Monday contest with San Antonio, failing to cover any of the spreads in road defeats to the Blazers, Clippers and Suns. Memphis opened that road trip with a win and cover at Golden State, and all four games went 'under' the total.

Denver had Monday off after falling to the Clippers as 5½-point home chalk on Sunday, 109-105. The Nuggets remain one of the better road teams in the Association, winning seven of their 10 away from Mile High City. They've won their last five roadies (7-3 on season) and have covered eight of their 10 away from home. Ty Lawson (ankle) has missed the last two Denver tilts since being injured in the Jan. 25 win at Sacramento. He's officially questionable for Tuesday's game.

The three teams currently in second place of their respective Eastern Conference divisions will also be in action on Tuesday, each rested and ready for battle in their 7:00 p.m. clashes.

Boston will look to climb back to the .500 mark in the second half of a home-&-home at the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Celtics were one of the hottest teams going before seeing their second 4-game win streak this season snapped at home vs. the Cavs on Sunday. Laying 6½ at home, Boston blew an 11-point lead late in the fourth quarter as Cleveland closed on a 12-0 run for the 88-87 triumph.

Indiana will be home to meet the New Jersey Nets, the Pacers getting a little break in what had been a tough span of games on the schedule. The previous five contests found Indiana on the road against the Lakers, Bulls, Celtics and Magic, the only home game in the run also coming against Orlando. The Pacers were 6½-point favorites in New Jersey on Jan. 2 when they scored a 108-94 victory and never trailed against the Nets.

Depending on the outcome of Monday's Hornets-Heat battle in Miami, the Atlanta Hawks could be tied for the Southeast Division lead when they trek across the border to meet the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday. Atlanta trailed Miami by just a half-game heading into the week, and will be completing a 5-game road trip that started with the Hawks winning three of the first four (2-2 ATS).

The evening comes to a close with a couple of 10:30 p.m. matchups. The dregs of the Pacific Division collide in Oakland where the Golden State Warriors host the Sacramento Kings. Down the coast in Los Angeles, the Lakers will welcome the Charlotte Bobcats to Staples Center. Charlotte is dragging an 8-game losing skid to LA and has just one victory in its last 15.

Always remember the 3 G's Girls,Golf, Gambling not in any particular order......:2thumbs:

The second half of the NHL season gets underway with a nearly full slate of 13 games Tuesday, following a five-day break that featured a 12-9 win for Team Chara over Team Alfredsson in the 59th annual All-Star Game at Ottawa’s Scotiabank Place on Sunday.

Coincidentally, the two captains Zdeno Chara of the Bruins and Daniel Alfredsson of the Senators will face each other again two days later at Boston’s TD Garden. This Northeast Division matchup highlights the schedule and is one of five games that will start at 7:00 p.m. (ET).

Alfredsson enjoyed playing the host to All-Star festivities over the weekend and capped it with two goals in the second period of his team’s loss to Team Chara. Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas prevented Alfredsson from scoring a hat trick with his play in the third period, stopping 18 of the 21 shots he faced to win his record fourth straight All-Star Game.

Team Alfredsson won the NHL All-Star Skills Competition 21-12 while Chara broke his own record in the hardest shot competition when the puck he struck reached 108.8 miles per hour.

Chara’s Boston team has also had the upper hand against Alfredsson’s Ottawa squad over the past two seasons, dominating the series with a 7-1 mark in eight meetings, including 2-0 this year. The Bruins (31-14-2) lead the Northeast and rank second in the Eastern Conference with 64 points, and the Senators are four points behind (27-19-6) and tied for fifth with the Pittsburgh Penguins (28-17-4), who have the same amount of points in three less games.

Pittsburgh will host the Toronto Maple Leafs (25-19-5) at the same time and found out that captain Sidney Crosby had suffered a neck injury in addition to his concussion during some tests in Los Angeles over the weekend. Crosby’s neck injury is fully healed now, but there is still no timetable for his return to the ice. He had tallied 12 points in eight games prior to concussion-like symptoms returning after a 3-1 loss to Boston on December 5.

Other key games on Tuesday include the New York Rangers (31-12-4) visiting the New Jersey Devils (26-19-3) at 7:00 p.m., the Calgary Flames hosting the Detroit Red Wings at 9:00 p.m. and a 2011 first-round playoff rematch between the Chicago Blackhawks (29-15-6) and Vancouver Canucks (30-15-4) at 10:00 p.m. The Atlantic Division-leading Rangers lead the East with 66 points while the Devils are fighting to get into the postseason after missing out last year.

The Central Division-leading Red Wings have played three more games than New York and lead the league with 67 points, three ahead of both the Blackhawks and Canucks. Detroit tied a season high with a seven-game winning streak just prior to the All-Star break but saw it come to an end with a 7-2 road loss to the Montreal Canadiens (19-21-9) last Wednesday, falling to 13-14 away from home. Northwest Division leader Vancouver edged Chicago 4-3 in seven games when they met in the playoffs last year, and they have split two meetings so far this season with the road team winning each time.

Always remember the 3 G's Girls,Golf, Gambling not in any particular order......:2thumbs:

The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the NHL All-Star break with the league’s longest winning streak of seven straight games, and they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second time in two nights Wednesday night in Toronto.

With Sidney Crosby out, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ offense lives and dies by the stick of Evgeni Malkin. In the six games prior to their seven-game winning streak, Pittsburgh (28-17-4) went 0-6 while averaging just one goal per game, getting just two goals from Malkin over that stretch. Over the last seven games, Pittsburgh is averaging 3.6 goals per game, fueled by Malkin’s nine lamp-lighters.

Toronto (25-19-5) entered the break tied with Florida and New Jersey with 55 points, but on the outside of the current playoff cutoff mark with one more game played. After playing against the Penguins Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, the Maple Leafs host the Pens Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. (ET).

The New York Rangers (31-12-4) entered the break with the top spot in the Eastern Conference, and hope to hold on to that spot down the stretch. After taking on New Jersey on the road Tuesday night, New York heads to Buffalo to take on the struggling Sabres Wednesday night.

Buffalo (20-24-5) entered their game on the road against Montreal Tuesday night just 4-12-2 (4-14 on the moneyline) since December 17, and ranked among the worst in the NHL in goals for (25th with 2.4 per game) and goals against (26th with 3.0 per game). Wednesday night’s matchup starts at 7:30 p.m. (ET) and will be televised nationally on the NBC Sports Network.

Currently tied in the standings with 55 points through 48 games apiece, the Washington Capitals (26-19-3) head to Florida (22-15-11) to take on the Panthers in a critical game for the top spot in the Southeast Division Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. (ET). This will be the third of six meetings between these division rivals this season and the first of three meetings in the month of February.

The home team won each of the first two games as Washington won 3-0 as a -240 home favorite back in October and Florida won 5-4 at -110 at home in December. Washington has been a bad road team this season at 8-13-2, but Florida hasn’t been very good at home (11-5-7) either. The Capitals play Tuesday night at Tampa Bay while Florida has the night off, so fatigue could be a factor.

Rounding out Wednesday night’s NHL betting card are two games down in Southern California as the Anaheim Ducks (18-23-7) host the Dallas Stars (25-21-2) and the Los Angeles Kings (24-16-10) host the Columbus Blue Jackets (13-30-6), both starting at 10:30 p.m. (ET).

After starting off the season an abysmal 10-22-6, Anaheim entered the Tuesday night’s game at Phoenix on an impressive 8-1-1 run, averaging 3.6 goals per game over the 10-game stretch. The Blue Jackets have been the NHL’s worst team by a wide margin this year, but they did pick up a 1-0 upset win in their last trip to Los Angeles in January as a +180 underdog.

Always remember the 3 G's Girls,Golf, Gambling not in any particular order......:2thumbs:

The New York Knicks are 15-5 to the ’under’ so far, tops in the NBA.
Scoring in the NBA has been a hot topic this season, especially for people who love betting the total.

A Don Best article written a few weeks ago highlighted that league scoring was at 94.6 PPG, down 5.0 percent from last year’s regular season (99.6 PPG). That was through January 10 with the ‘under’ also hitting at 59.1 percent.

Scoring has stayed roughly the same since then, but lower totals have caused a lot of ‘overs’ and the ‘under’ for the year is down to 56.6 percent.

New York Knicks an ‘under’ dream

New York is the leading ‘under’ team at 15-5 (75 percent). Phoenix (14-6), Philadelphia (14-7), Toronto (13-7), Orlando (13-7), Sacramento (13-7) and Boston (11-6) also have a major lean that way.

It’s been an awful season for New York at 7-13 straight up, 7.5-games back of Philadelphia in the Atlantic Division. The Knicks' 5-15 against the spread mark is also the NBA’s worst and coach Mike D’Antoni could be fired shortly.

Scoring has been the main issue at 93.7 PPG, ranked just 17th overall. That’s after finishing second in the league last year (106.5 PPG). Leading scorer Carmelo Anthony (23.6 PPG) has been playing banged up and missed the last two games, Amare Stoudemire (17.7 PPG) is struggling and overall scoring depth is also poor.

Philadelphia has been an excellent home team at 11-2 SU, with 11 of those games going ‘under.’ The is the leading defensive team in the league (86.1 PPG) under coach Doug Collins, but even stingier at home (81.2 PPG). Having an easy home schedule, with just four opponents currently over .500, has helped the cause.

Boston is another team going ‘under’ at home (10-2). The Celtics are third overall in the league defensively (87.9 PPG), but that number is much lower in the 12 games at TD Garden (82.7 PPG), compared to the seven on the road (96.9 PPG).

Sacramento has the ‘under’ at 10-2 away. The offensively challenged Kings rank just 24th overall (90.6 PPG), but scoring is much worse away (86.8 PPG) versus at Power Balance Pavilion (96.4 PPG).

Denver Nuggets lead ‘over’ brigade

Denver is the leading ‘over’ team, but at just a 60 percent clip (12-8). There are only seven teams with more ‘overs’ than ‘unders’ with Milwaukee (11-8), Miami (12-9), Golden State (10-8) and the Los Angeles Clippers (10-8) next on the list.

Denver leads the NBA in scoring (105.8 PPG) and is 27th in points allowed (99.2 PPG). Danilo Gallinari is the leading scorer at only at 17.9 PPG, but there’s a remarkable six guys in double-digits. The Nuggets strangely score even more on the road (108.1 PPG), helping the ‘over’ go 8-2 there.

Milwaukee owes its ‘over’ mark due to home play (6-1-1). Team scoring is at 99.8 PPG at the Bradley Center compared to 90.6 PPG away. The ‘over’ is also 5-0 in the Bucks’ last five games overall, three of those at home.

Other home and away disparities

Memphis has the ‘over’ 7-2 at home and the ‘under’ 10-1 away. Scoring has been a big 102.3 PPG at FedExForum, while just 85.8 PPG away. The offensive road production needs to improve dramatically if the Grizzlies hope to make the playoffs.

Detroit has the ‘over’ 8-3 at home and the ‘under’ 9-2 on the road. This the lowest scoring team in the NBA (85.6 PPG) and while the Pistons aren’t getting great production at home (89.8 PPG), they are downright terrible away (81.5 PPG).

Let’s go streaking

The L.A. Clippers are 5-1 ‘over’ their last six games. Chris Paul came back four games ago from injury and has scored 51 total points the last two in high scoring wins at Denver (109-105) and home to Oklahoma City (112-100).

Washington is 4-1 ‘under’ in its last five, 3-1 since Randy Wittman took over head coaching duties from Flip Saunders.

Minnesota has seen the ‘over’ go 6-1 in its last seven. The Timberwolves’ defense has been shredded for at least 106 points in four of those contests, losing three of them.

Charlotte finally scored some points last Saturday versus Washington, but still lost 102-99. That game went ‘over,’ with the ‘under’ 5-0-1 in Charlotte’s previous six, not scoring more than 89 points.

Always remember the 3 G's Girls,Golf, Gambling not in any particular order......:2thumbs:

The Tuesday NBA card involves seven games, but only one matchup with both squads owning records above .500. The Nuggets head to FedEx Forum to battle the Grizzlies, as Memphis will be playing with no rest. We'll start in Cleveland with the surprising Cavaliers looking to shock Boston for the second time in three days.

Celtics at Cavaliers - 7:05 PM EST

These two old playoff rivals haven't had a lot of meaningful basketball to play since LeBron James left Cleveland before last season. However, the new savior for the Cavs' franchise led an impressive rally in Sunday night's comeback victory at TD Garden. Kyrie Irving's layup in the closing seconds lifted Cleveland to an 88-87 triumph as 6 ½-point underdogs, while capping a late 12-0 run.

The loss by the Celtics snapped a four-game winning streak, which included a pair of victories over the struggling Magic. Rajon Rondo has missed the last six games with a wrist injury, as the Celtics' point guard looks to take the floor on Tuesday. Ray Allen returned from a three-game absence in Sunday's loss with a game-high 22 points, while the C's shot 52% from the field. With the defeat, Boston fell to 2-5 ATS the last seven games as a home favorite.

The Cavs were the laughing-stock of the NBA last season with a 19-63 record, but Byron Scott's club owns an 8-11 mark through 19 games. Cleveland has seen its ups and downs this season by posting a pair of losses by 27 points, while going 8-4 ATS as a road underdog. At Quicken Loans Arena, the Cavs are just 3-4 ATS, including a win as a home 'dog over the Knicks last week.

Nuggets at Grizzlies - 8:05 PM EST

Memphis started the season behind the eight-ball with a 3-6 record, but bounced back by putting together a seven-game winning streak. The Grizzlies took a step backwards with three consecutive losses to end a four-game West Coast swing. Now, Memphis plays with no rest following Monday's home loss to San Antonio as Denver heads to FedEx Forum.

The Nuggets were tripped up at home on Sunday night by the Clippers in the final minutes, 109-105 as 5 ½-point 'chalk.' Denver still remains one of the top ATS teams in the league at 14-6 ATS, including an 8-2 ATS ledger away from the Pepsi Center. George Karl's team pulled off a clean sweep of their latest road trip by winning all five games, including overtime victories at Philadelphia and New York.

The Grizzlies have been held below 100 points in seven of the last eight games, while cashing the 'under' six times. Memphis is playing with no rest at home for only the second time this season, as the Grizzlies dominated the Kings in a January 21 blowout, 128-95. The total has eclipsed the 'over' in each of the previous five meetings, while Denver owns a 9-1 record the last 10 games against Memphis.

Bobcats at Lakers - 10:35 PM EST

Charlotte owns the worst record in the league at 3-18, while playing without point guard D.J. Augustin, who is out with an inflamed toe. The Bobcats begin a four-game road swing at Staples Center against the Lakers, as Los Angeles goes for its first two-game winning streak since mid-January.

The Lakers staved off a furious Minnesota rally for just their second road victory of the season on Sunday, 106-101 as two-point underdogs. Mike Brown's team hasn't helped backers with a dreadful 2-7 ATS record the last nine games, including a 1-3 ATS mark at home. The purple and gold broke the 100-point barrier for only the second time in 21 games on Sunday, while facing a Bobcats' squad that has been limited to below 100 points in eight consecutive contests.

There aren't many glowing reviews for the Bobcats at this point, as Paul Silas' club is 1-14 SU and 3-12 ATS the last 15 games. Amazingly, Charlotte owns a 5-3 ATS record as a double-digit 'dog this season, including covers at Chicago and Orlando. The Bobcats are 9-1 ATS the last 10 meetings against the Lakers, while cashing each of the previous five times at Staples Center (all as 10+ 'dogs or more).

Always remember the 3 G's Girls,Golf, Gambling not in any particular order......:2thumbs:

With the calendar about to turn to February here is quick look at the upcoming schedules for a few NBA teams. In the tightened 66-game season format there are great discrepancies in the schedules this year and it will make a big difference in the standings. Here are three losing teams that could move upward in February and three decent teams that could stall this month.

Favorable February Schedules

Detroit Pistons: It has certainly been a tough start to the season for the Pistons but February should bring improvement. The Pistons will play nine of 14 games at home in the month and only two games will be against teams with winning records. They will play several of the worst teams in the NBA including three games with the Nets in addition to games against New Orleans, Washington, Sacramento, Cleveland, Toronto, and Charlotte. The toughest games will all be at home and the Pistons should certainly have opportunities to improve its current 4-17 record.

New Jersey Nets: The Nets have had to battle through one of the toughest slates in the league at this point in the season and by the end of February they could be a lot closer to a .500 team than they currently sit. The schedule ahead is favorable with eight of 14 February games at home and losing teams in five of the first six games of the month. There are some challenging games, facing the Bulls twice as well as road games in Indiana and Dallas but overall the Nets should emerge with an improved record as the team is showing some signs of progress in late January.

Toronto Raptors: Only five February games will be played away from home for the Raptors and while this is a team that has been inconsistent there will be opportunities for success in the next month. Toronto has just four games against winning teams in February and they have several games against some of the worst teams in the league, playing Washington twice as well as hosting Charlotte and Detroit and playing at New Orleans. They do play on consecutive nights three times but they have a stretch of seven straight home games which should help the team recover from a tough start with a road heavy January schedule.

Unfavorable February Schedules

San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs are only a few games above .500 and they have really struggled on the road with a 2-8 record and that could be problematic in February with a stretch of nine straight road games. Six of those nine games will be against winning teams and the aging Spurs will get little rest this month. There are just four home games in February for San Antonio and three of the four will be against difficult opponents, hosting Houston, Oklahoma City, and Chicago. San Antonio does get to play a couple of light foes in the month but games against New Orleans and Toronto will both come after playing the previous day.

Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies may appear to have a favorable path in February with nine of 14 games at home but they will be facing a gauntlet of quality teams. Only four games will be against teams with losing records and two of those games are Boston and Minnesota, two teams just barely under .500 and with the potential to be much better than the record indicates. Atlanta, Oklahoma City, Denver, Indiana, and Philadelphia are on the schedule so there will be games against many of the teams with the best records in the NBA. Memphis also has five sets of back-to-back games on consecutive days in the month.

Milwaukee Bucks: The Bucks had a tough first few weeks of the season and the injury to center Andrew Bogut has not helped the cause. The Bucks should be a better team than the record indicates but things may not improve significantly in the next month. The Bucks recently played the Bulls and the Heat and they will get to play them both twice more in February as well as playing Orlando three times in the span of ten days in the middle of the month. There are some lighter teams mixed into the schedule but having to play so many big games will make Milwaukee vulnerable to an upset and this is a team that has really struggled away from home.

Always remember the 3 G's Girls,Golf, Gambling not in any particular order......:2thumbs:

NBA: Boston has covered in four of its last five and in five of its last seven meetings against Cleveland.

NHL: The under is 12-3-8 in the New York Rangers’ last 23 overall.

NHL: Nashville is 5-1 in its last six road games.

NCAAB: Virginia has covered in 10 of its last 14.

NCAAB: The over is 8-3-1 in Michigan State’s last 12.

Who’s not

NBA: New Jersey is 1-11 against the spread in its last 12 meetings with Indiana.

NBA: Sacramento is 3-9 against the spread in its last 12 home games.

NHL: Buffalo is 3-13 in its last 16 road games.

NHL: Minnesota is 4-15 in its last 19 overall.

NCAAB: Clemson is 2-9 against the spread in its last 11.

NCAAB: Kentucky is 1-11-1 against the spread in its last 13 home games.

Key stat

56.3 – Over the last month, 56.3 percent of all NBA games have played under the total.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

MarShon Brooks, New Jersey Nets – New Jersey’s rookie guard will not play in Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Hawks because of a broken little toe on his right foot. Brooks is scheduled to be evaluated by doctors Monday evening. It is not known how long he will be out. He has missed the past three games with an Achilles’ tendon injury. Brooks is averaging 14.8 points - second on the team. He has started nine of 17 games.

Game of the day

Michigan State Spartans at Illinois Fighting Illini (3.5, 128.5)

Notable quotable

“We’ve clearly explained to young guys what this trip is for. There will be a lot of temptation, a lot of stuff going on, but we clearly said the party’s back here [in New York] and much better after a victory. We’re not out there for leisure.’’ – New York Giants guard Chris Snee.

Notes and tips

Michigan State can pull into a tie for first place in the Big Ten with a win over Illinois on Tuesday. The Spartans lead the conference with a 51.3 field goal percentage in conference play but Illinois is 3-0-1 against the spread in the last four meetings between the two teams. The last 10 Michigan State-Illinois matchups have been decided by 10 or fewer points.

It doesn’t sound like the New York Knicks will have Carmelo Anthony (ankle) or Baron Davis (back) in the lineup Tuesday against the Detroit Pistons. Both didn’t practice Monday and the team doesn’t want to push them with back-to-back games against Chicago and Boston beginning Thursday. The Knicks have dropped nine of 10, covering just twice over the slump.

Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli has no plans to trade reigning Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas. "Not trading him," Chiarelli wrote in an e-mail to TSN's Pierre LeBrun on Monday. "I have not talked to anyone and I don't plan to." Later saying that he "followed his conscience," Thomas got into hot water last week when he elected to skip the team's visit to the White House. Thomas, who was selected to the All-Star Game, has posted a 20-9-0 mark with a 2.12 goals-against average this season.

Always remember the 3 G's Girls,Golf, Gambling not in any particular order......:2thumbs:

Six of the more interesting Bracket Buster games on Feb 17-18:
-- St Mary's @ Murray State- Stiff test for unbeaten Racers.

-- Nevada @ Iona-- Reno to New Rochelle is quite a journey.

-- Long Beach State @ Creighton-- Another long trip for the 49ers.

-- Buffalo @ South Dakota State-- TV game for the Jackrabbits.

-- Drexel @ Cleveland State-- Two physical defensive teams meet.

-- Wichita State @ Davidson-- Shockers beat UNLV, Davidson won at Kansas; these are two teams to watch in March.

****************

Armadillo: Tuesday's List of 13: Using numbers to follow the bouncing ball

13) What college basketball players take the highest percentage of their team’s shots? Collin Chiverton (Eastern Washington) 38.4%, Faisel Aden, Washington State 38.0%, Quincy Roberts, Grambling 37.8% are the top three.

12) Weber State’s Darian Lillard (24.8) leads the country in scoring, followed by Oakland’s Reggie Hamilton (24.0) and Doug McDermott (23.5) of Creighton.

11) In the NBA, Kobe Bryant (30.2) leads the league in scoring, followed by Lebron James (29.5), Kevin Durant (26.3) and Kevin Love (25.3).

9) In college ball, Iona’s Scott Machado leads the nation with 9.9 apg, followed by Kendall Marshall (9.7) of North Carolina and Jesse Sanders of Liberty (8.1)

8) What college players play the highest percentage of their team’s games? Brad Loesing of Wofford plays 96.8% of the time, Bryce Cotton of Providence 95.3%, Maurice Jones of USC 94.7; that’s often a bad sign, an omen that teams don’t enough depth to give the starters proper rest.

7) In the NBA, Kevin Love leads the league with 39.7 mpg, followed by Kobe Bryant (38.6), Monta Ellis and Luol Deng (38.3 mpg).

6) As for rebounders, Dwight Howard leads the NBA with 15.5 boards a game, followed by Love 13.8, Andrew Bynum (12.2) and Blake Griffin (11.3).

5) Siena’s OD Anoskie leads the college rebounders with 12.9 caroms/game, followed by Thomas Robinson (11.8) of Kansas and Mike Moser (11.7) of UNLV.

4) Kendrick Perkins leads the NBA with seven technical fouls, most in the NBA; there are five guys tied for second with five technicals; three of those five guys (Anthony/Chandler/Stoudemire) play for the Knicks.

3) Best 3-point shooters in college ball? Kris Davis of SI-Edwardsville is 36-62 (58.1%), followed by Matt Roth of Indiana (27-47, 57.4%) and Arizona’s Branden Lavender (29-54, 53.0%).

2) Jamal Crawford leads the NBA with a 94.9% mark on foul shots; he is followed by JJ Redick 54-57 (94.7%), Kevin Martin 72-77 (93.5%) and Anthony Morrow (37-40, 92.5%).

1) Who is the best college foul shooter? Robby Ptacek of Central Connecticut is 97-105 (92.4%), followed by Holton Hunsaker of Utah Valley (59-64, 92.2%) and Iowa State’s Scott Christopherson (54-59, 91.5%).

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